Sprinkler



Sept. 23, 1969 F. H. SULLY SPRINKLER Filed July 10', 1967 INVENTOR. PEA/V4 51/44 y ,4 7 TOE/M6 45 United States Patent 3,463,485 SPRINKLER Frank H. Sully, Buena Park, Calif., assignor to Western Brass Works, Los Augeles, Calif., a corporation of California Filed July 10, 1967, Ser. No. 652,063 Int. Cl. Bb 3/02, 3/14, 3/06 US. Cl. 239230 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A rotatable sprinkler in which the head and housing are in one piece and are mounted on the spindle which is in turn mounted on the pipe riser. The spindle is provided with a conical bearing which serves as a thrust and friction surface and which is lubricated from an adjoining lubrication chamber.

Background of the invention The ordinary overhead rotary sprinkler involves an elongated vertically disposed bearing housing which is secured to a water supply pipe. An elongated vertically disposed tubular spindle extends through and is rotatably carried by the housing. A water distributing head is mounted on the upper end of the spindle and is provided with a laterally and upwardly projecting water conducting arm or branch equipped with a nozzle at its outer end which is adapted to direct a jet of water away from the head. A drive means is also provided for rotating the head and the spindle relative to the bearing housing. This drive means generally comprises a driver arm against which the jet of water is directed causing the driver arm to oscillate and in so doing causing the head to rotate.

Such sprinklers generally further include one or more flat washers located between the lower portion of the bearing housing and a shoulder along the lower end of the tubular spindle. These washers serve as a seal to keep water and contaminants from entering the space between the spindle and the housing. More importantly, these washers also serve as a form of friction brake to keep the head and spindle from moving opposite to the desired direction of rotation when the driver arm swings back- Wardly and to limit the travel of the head and spindle when the driver arm swings forward striking the head. In this manner, some control of speed of rotation is accomplished. Due to its construction, such a sprinkler has a relatively small hole through the spindle as compared to the aperture in the housing which is secured to the water pipe. This reduction in aperture, typically on the order of one-fourth the cross sectional area, results in a kinetic energy loss as the water passes from the larger aperture to the smaller aperture. This energy loss reduces the range of the water jet and thus requires that either a larger sprinkler be used or the sprinklers be placed closer together.

In such a sprinkler as a result of the large spindle shoulder pressing against the washers, a thrust is exerted against the washers which is equal to the area of the shoulder times the pressure in pounds per square inch. Since the construction does not permit the shoulder diameter to be reduced, the braking eifect becomes excessive when small nozzles and high pressures are used, even to the point of stopping the device from rotating. Also, since the washers are generally die cut from sheet stock and since it is difiicult to control the friction coeflicient from one sheet to the next, periodic wide variations in the performance of the sprinkler or sprinklers result.

3,468,485 Patented Sept. 23, 1969 ice Summary of the invention According to the present invention, a rotating sprinkler is provided which eliminates or substantially reduces the problems outlined above. According to the present invention, the sprinkler is not made in three pieces, but rather in two, and the spindle, rather than passing through a housing, is threadedly mounted directly in the water supply pipe. The spindle is provided with an external bearing, conical in design, which serves both as a thrust and friction surface. A seal is positioned below the bearing to prevent water borne abrasives and contaminants from entering the bearing and thus increases the sprinklers life expectancy. Because the spindle is not positioned within another housing, the Water passages through the spindle can be almost as large as the water passage through the water supply pipe with the result that there is lower energy loss and increased performance. The spindle structure also provides a lubricating chamber above the hearing so that it can be continually lubricated. Since the rotating surfaces are outside the Water passages, contamination is less likely to occur. This also results in a reduced Water thrust area thereby increasing performance at elevated pressures. As a result of these features, a smaller sprinkler can be used than those provided in the prior art and yet be equal in performance.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a bearing system for a rotating member.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a rotating sprinkler in which the bearing portions are divorced from the water supply passages. A further feature of this invention is the self centering feature resulting from use of a conical bearing surface reducing uneven wear and eliminating critical tolerances in manufacture. Still a further object of this invention is to provide a sprinkler wherein a constant friction is obtained by virtue of a conical bearing surface in place of rubber washers used in prior sprinklers. As the angle of said surface becomes more acute, friction is increased and conversely it is a further object of this invention to provide a sprinkler wherein the effective area against upward thrust is reduced permitting use of a smaller nozzle and driver to cover the same area.

Brief description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is a cross-sectional elevation of the sprinkler of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 2*2 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the bearing assembly of the sprinkler of the present invention.

Description of the invention The sprinkler of the present invention, generally indicated at 10, has a spindle 11 which is screw threaded into the water supply pipe or riser 12. The spindle 11 is provided with an upper shoulder 13 which serves as an upper bearing contact point and a lower shoulder 14 having an inwardly tapering lower surface 15. Positioned over the spindle 11 is a head and housing assembly 16 having a nozzle 17 and a driver arm 18 mounted thereon in the conventional manner.

A suitable seal such as an O-ring 19 is positioned above the shoulder 13 and serves as an upper seal. Positioned within the head and housing assembly 16 and below the shoulder 14 is a bearing 20 having a conical bearing surface 21 adapted to engage the lower surface 15 of the shoulder 14. The lower portion of the head and housing assembly 17 is formed so that an annular chamber 22 is left between the spindle 11 and the assembly 16. This chamber 22 serves as a lubrication pocket and can be filled with a body of oil 23 as shown or with an oil soaked felt washer to provide continuous lubrication for the bearing 20. The bearing 20 may be formed in one piece or may be formed of a plurality of segments such as the segment 24 shown in FIGURE 3. The bearing 20 is held in place by a sealing ring 25 which also serves to retain the oil and exclude dust. The sealing ring 25 is held in place by a closure ring 26.

In operation, when water under pressure is introduced into the pipe 12, the head and housing assembly 16 is forced upwardly bringing the surface 21 of the bearing 20 into engagement with the undersurface 15 of the shoulder 14. These surfaces are continually lubricated by the oil in the chamber 23 and are protected from contaminants by the seals 19 and 25. The surface 21 serves as both a thrust and a friction surface and the contact angle of this surface and the surface 15 can be varied to control friction and meet the operating conditions desired.

From the foregoing description, it can be seen that an overhead rotary sprinkler has been provided in which there is no great reduction in the cross-sectional area of the water passages so that the thrust and friction problems are reduced as is the kinetic energy loss. The construction also provides that the rotating portions of the sprinkler are remote from the water passages thereof with the result that the danger of water borne abrasives or contaminants interfering with the proper operation of the bearing is greatly reduced. While the invention has been described in connection with a sprinkler, it should be understood that the principles are equally useful in other sprinklers or other rotating assemblies whereone element rotates around another element and where speed must be controlled.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms not departing from the spirit or central characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

1. A rotary sprinkler assembly comprising a hollow spindle having an upper shoulder, a lower shoulder, said 4 V 1 lower shoulder having a diverging conical surface on the underside thereof, and means adapted for engagement with a fluid supply pipe; a housing assembly having a lower portion telescoping over said spindle and engaging the peripheral surface of said upper shoulder thereof whereby said peripheral surface acts as an upper bearing surface, and an upper portion having a passageway therethrough communicating with the interior of said spindle; a bearing positioned within said lower portion of said housing assembly below said lower shoulder of said spindle, said bearing having an upper converging conical surface adapted to engage said conical surface of said lower shoulder, said conical surfaces being of substantially equal slope; said housing assembly being spaced from said spindle between said upper shoulder and said bearing to form a chamber for retaining lubricant; first sealing means positioned below said bearing; closure means for confining said bearing and said first sealing means within said housing assembly; and second sealing means positioned on said upper shoulder of said spindle.

2. The sprinkler assembly of claim 1 wherein a body of oil is positioned within said chamber.

3. The sprinkler assembly of claim 1 wherein an oil impregnated washer is positioned within said chamber.

4. The sprinkler assembly of claim 1 wherein means for rotating said housing assembly is mounted thereon.

5. The sprinkler assembly of claim 4 wherein said rotating means comprises a driver arm adapted to be engaged by fluid emerging from said passageway.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,853,342 9/ 1958 Kachergis 239230 FOREIGN PATENTS 314,226 6/ 1956 Switzerland. 262,675 4/ 1965 Australia. 207,887 2/1966 Sweden.

EVERETT W. KIRBY, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 239-261, 264 

